Skaterboi
by rq13
Summary: Long one-shot/songfic. Yami, rejected by Tea, is helped out of his hole by his best friend, Yugi. But what's this new feeling? Suck at summaries, better than it sounds.


**I'm gonna get it out of the way – oneshots are my immortal enemy. I love reading them, but I have such trouble writing them. This one took me **_**months**_** to finish. This follows the lines of Skaterboy by Avril Lavigne, but I wouldn't call it a songfic...**

_**WARNINGS:**_ **random angst and PossesiveYami thrown in the middle, bashing of just about every female character, and, towards the end, expect crappiness of epic proportions. I was sick to the point of zombie-ism.**

**DISCLAIMER: I actually got my father to write the disclaimer. I was bored, so...**

**Dad:**** OK so I was there at the time, I think, but really didn't know what was going to happen... Anyway, a long time ago now but I want you to know that this thing I share a home with, yeah it's all mine, she owns nothing (except the excellent leather pants) so, you know, go hard on her**

**rq13:**** You bastard.**

**Dad:**** See, see, seeeeee! If it was really mine it would show some respect. BTW I'm with stupid**

**(No joke, dad really wrote that... prick) but, please, don't be hard on me. I still have baby fat. No flames, I hate the heat.**

A very depressed Yami stared sadly up at the bright blue sky. He was at the park, sitting on their bench. Their bench: his and Yugi's. Yugi: the cause of his depression. His skate board sat almost obediently at his feet. Yugi was a skater, too, he and Yami had been the only ones to not rebel against the sneers and disgusted looks of Domino's citizens.

The world's shortest midget had been shipped off to America with his family the week before, leaving his best and only friend, Yami, behind in Domino, Japan.

Yami reminisced about the day that Yugi – or Little One, or Hikari, or Aibou – had left, the younger look-a-like being taken away to the United States with his mother and grandfather. Even if Mrs Mutou would hardly be home – she was moving for work, and would be travelling the other states most of the time. It was just easier and less expensive for her that way.

_**~Flashback~**_

_Yami sadly waited with Yugi at the airport, his tiny look-a-like slumped beside him. People rushed here and there, the never ending swarm of people clumped up the large airport. The crowd was so thick you couldn't see the floor more than three feet in front of you. When the announcer over the intercom that could barely be heard over the din said that Yugi's plane was now boarding, the boys had leaned closer to each other to drown out the hustle and bustle of the noisy terminal. The shorter of the boys awkwardly cracked each individual joint in his fingers._

"_Yami," Yugi had said, his soft soprano voice carried over to his companion, "Even if I'm not here, I want you to be happy, so don't go all emo on me."_

"_How am I going to be anywhere _near _ok without you here?" Yami's baritone sounded odd with his whine._

"_Talk to Tea. I know you like her, so why not?" Yugi suggested, the undertone in his voice suggesting he didn't like the idea, but Yami didn't pick up on it._

_Instead, he sighed and nodded, hugging Yugi close to him. They were both short for their age, but Yugi barely reached Yami's chin. _

_Yugi's mother, a woman of average height with short black hair, tapped Yugi on the shoulder, gently telling him it was time to go. Yami squeezed the boy once more and reluctantly released him. _

_Yugi clasped their hands in front of them. "I'll call you as soon as we're settled, before that if I have time." Then he'd done something that was still a mystery to the half-Egyptian. The smaller had stood on his tip-toes and kissed Yami on the cheek. He and his mother shoved through the crowd, catching up with Solomon Mutou at the gate._

_Yami waited until the plane left, one hand still on his cheek, the other still slowly and sadly waving to the out-of-sight plane. What had that meant? Was it a friendly gesture or something more?_

_On the plane, Yugi gazed longingly out the window. Why, oh why hadn't he been able to tell Yami how he felt?_

_**~End Flashback~**_

Sighing again, Yami instantly perked up at hearing the high-pitched giggles of girls. Hoping that Tea was with them, he hopped up and followed the noise, swivelling his skateboard around any cans or sticks that were in his way. Sure enough, there was Tea, in denim mini-shorts, black tights and a light green tank top, surrounded by her group of cheerleading friends, each wearing designer brands and heeled sandals.

The only ones he knew the names of, Mai and Rebecca, were on either side of the brunette beauty, laughing about something she'd said. The pair of blondes were done up in miniskirts, button up shirts, waist length jackets and strappy wedges; Rebecca in pink and Mai in purple.

Yami gulped nervously, flipped his skate board into his hand and went over.

The girls stopped laughing almost immediately, instead opting to stare at the short teen in front of them, taking in his baggy and mostly black 'skater clothes', ratty shoes and board in hand. Their eyes wandered up to his unruly hair and crimson eyes.

"Umm... can we do something for you?" the bleach blonde Mai sniffed in distain.

"Well, err; I wanted to talk to Tea." Yami managed to get out.

"What?" the brunette asked. Why was the skater boy talking to her? She'd never seen Short without Shorter within arm's reach. Where was he? There had been rumours about the pair, saying that they were secretly a couple when they'd first entered high school, with how close they were, never afraid to hold hands or hug, even taking naps in each other's laps, you could see how anyone would think that. Short and Shorter had cleared that up, but there were still the occasional whispers.

"Well, um, the new movie that came out a few weeks ago looks pretty good, and I w-was wondering if you'd like to go see it with me?" Yami fidgeted with his hands.

"Oh, uh," Tea didn't know what to say to that. She wanted to go, she really did, but no matter how good-looking or kind a skater boy is, they are still a skater boy. The movie he suggested sounded good too, she'd wanted to see it for a while, so he had good taste, as well. But she couldn't go with the skater kid. That'd give her a bad image, no matter how cute said skater kid was, or how much she would actually like to go with him.

Rebecca, the kid genius that disproved the ridiculous 'blondes are dumb' theory, spoke up. "She can't go. She's got her ballet recital coming up, and she wouldn't be caught dead with someone like _you_." She pushed her glasses up her nose in a snooty I'm-better-than-you way.

"Oh." Yami looked downed. He'd totally blown it!

The dark-haired Vivian tilted her chin up and crossed her arms. "Ignore him, Tea. He's probably just looking for someone to replace Shorter."

Yami, instantly knowing who the infamously dubbed 'Shorter' was, snapped at her, "Don't call a-Yugi that!" the crimson-eyed boy barely caught himself from saying 'aibou'.

"Well, she's not going, so you can just leave. Go on, scat." Mai flipped her hair and made a shoo-shoo motion.

Yami tilted his head down, trying to hide his disappointed eyes, "Oh. I'll just go then. See you at school." Yami stamped on the end of his board, flipping it into his hand from the ground where he'd dropped it. He walked a respectable distance away before dropping it and skating again. But that respectable distance gave him the time to hear what the girls were saying about him. _'OMG, did he really just ask you out?' 'He'll never have a chance; he's just a dumb skater boy.' 'He'll probably never graduate. Skaters never amount to anything better than the gum on your shoe.' 'A worthless waste of space, that's what he is.' _

Never have a chance...

Dumb skater boy...

Never graduate...

Never amount to anything...

Worthless waste of space...

Worthless...

Worthless...

_Worthless..._

_**~Flashback~**_

"_You're worthless, Mutou!" one of the thuggish bullies taunted the small, amethyst-eyed boy, "Totally useless!" He was tall, with dark hair and beady green eyes. Ushio was one of the biggest people in Domino Primary School._

"_You can't even catch a ball – what good are you?" another hissed at him. He was equally tall, but he was gangly, with flaming red hair._

_Yugi ducked away from the punch that was swung at his face. He'd already been hit in the stomach, and had sticks whacked into his legs. He was red and bruised, feeling quite sorry for himself. If only he were more like his best friend, Yami, then he would've been able to fight off these guys, actually stand up for himself. But he could not, for he was just Yugi. Nothing special. Useless. Not sporty, not athletic, not physically capable of anything more than jumping rope. Even that he wasn't that great at. He looked like a freak, he acted like a freak, he was a freak. He had nothing but his Teacher's Pet status and his only friend. When the taunting started, Yugi had drawn into himself. He used to be open and confident with who he was with everyone, whether he knew them or not, but now he hardly spoke, in fear of being laughed at. The beatings were rare, but severe. He never told his mother or grandfather about them – the first step in getting over it was dealing with your own problems._

_If he told his mother, she'd talk to the principal, who would talk to the teacher, who would talk to the bullies and it'd only get worse for Yugi. No, he'd keep it to himself for now, until he was strong enough to stand on his own two feet and deal with his inner daemons. _

"_Oi, Useless! Get up!"_

Useless._ The other names he'd heard before and, though they hurt, they didn't cause the psychological damage that 'useless' did. What good were perfect grades anyway? A piece of paper wouldn't get him anywhere unless he could fight for it. Yugi was kept awake all night, night after night, just because of this thought and the word _useless_ echoing around in his head. Was he really useless? He supposed so... he couldn't help out in the Game Shop – he was too short to reach the counter, not strong enough to work in the storage room and too clumsy to clean or manage the displays. He really _couldn't_ do anything right._

_Maybe the world _would_ be better off without him..._

_Just as Ushio swung his fist again, a voice behind him commanded, "Let him go!"_

_The owner of the voice was Yami, and he was not a happy camper. These guys were picking on Yugi! He stormed forward with a glare and a snarl, taking Yugi's hand and helping him to his shaky feet. The smaller's legs trembled, and he stumbled slightly as Yami lead him away from the cursing bullies. Ushio swore after them, "We'll get you, Mutou! And your dumb friend!"_

_**~End Flashback (A/N: this actually happened to me. Only difference is no one saved me)~**_

Feeling even more depressed, Yami glided away from the park, towards his home. If only Yugi was still here... he would've gone over to the game shop and just sat with Yugi. They'd simply look at each other, as they always had done when the other was upset. Everything they needed to say was conveyed through their eyes. The wind whipped through his baggy clothes, chilling his slumped body. Everyone he passed looked at him oddly, shaking their heads and muttering amongst themselves about his choice in wardrobe. Obviously, if you weren't wearing something from Gap or somewhere else fancy, you were no good in their eyes. _Sometimes,_ Yami had once philosophised, _K-mart just doesn't cut it._

Yami POV

The next few weeks were absolutely brutal. Every single person I knew ridiculed me. Even people I didn't know gave me glares.

I was currently walking through the school hall way, with my eyes lowered so I didn't have to meet the taunting stares. I'd never been bullied much before, not as much as Yugi, but now I knew how he felt, having to go through this every day. Someone stuck their foot out in front of me and I tripped, my books scattering all over the linoleum floor. I gathered them together, my face burning and people's laughter ringing in my ears. I was on my way to my locker to put my books away before lunch. I sat alone, now, since the only person worth sitting with was gone. I'd spoken to very few people since then, not having found anyone who could interest me past 'hello'.

All through lunch, I sat on the rock outside the library, as I usually did. Yugi and I used to sit here followed by both the curious homophobes who would consistently ask if we were together, some daring us to kiss or asking who was the giver/taker, and the only yaoi fans brave enough to approach us directly. The first few days of that had been painfully awkward, but we'd gotten through it by tormenting them with confusing, avoiding-the-question-but-not answers. Eventually, they just gave up, deciding that we were not together, just close friends.

Someone across the courtyard decided to throw a sandwich at me. It hit me in the shoulder so it splattered everywhere. _Another day in paradise,_ I thought sarcastically.

A month has passed, and I can't take any more of this. I've had busted lips, black eyes, and utter shame no matter where I go. I'd cornered my parents in the living room, since they knew of my situation; I told them my idea to remedy it.

My father wasn't too pleased, saying that I should just 'smack 'em clean over the head and tell 'em to get a life' instead of what I had in mind, but my mother reluctantly agreed with me, saying she would look into it. She didn't do anything that night, since it was rather late, but the next day, when I got home from school (sopping wet from the water-bomb raid I'd lived through on my way out the doors) she handed me the phone and a towel, mouthing 'it's Grandpa Mutou'.

I eagerly held the phone to my ear, stumbling down the hall to my room while trying to dry my hair with one hand. "Hello?" I asked, closing the door behind me after hooking a little DO NOT DISTURB sign off the handle.

"_Hello, m'boy, how've you been?"_

"Fine, mostly." I winced a little.

"_Well, in any case, I've heard about your little plan. I'm all for it. Yugi's made a nice new friend, Ryou, but they're both very shy... He's not the boy he was when he was with you. He's a lot quieter."_ Grandpa Mutou sighed.

"He is?" I wondered out loud. I suppose I was, too, "So, my idea, you're really ok with it? You don't mind?"

Grandpa Mutou chuckled, _"Of course not, Yami! You're already like a grandson to me, and Yugi will be so happy."_

I nervously took of my wet jacket and slung it over the back of my computer chair, "Have you told him?"

"_I thought you might like to do that."_ He answered sincerely. That was true, though it would be easier for someone else to tell him, but any excuse to talk to him, I would take.

"Thanks, Grandpa." I smiled, even though he couldn't see it. I heard him calling a muffled 'Yugi!' through the speaker before the phone changed hands and a gentle, curious voice rang instead.

"_Hello? Who is this?"_ he asked. Oh, how I missed him.

"It's Yami, Little One." I replied, using one of Yugi's nicknames.

He squealed so loud I swear I'm still half-deaf to this day, especially after I informed him of my plan, and that all the adults had already agreed to it. I got slightly worried when he started crying, but he assured me that they were happy tears. _"Happy tears, Yami, happy tears."_

"If you're sure," I laughed. He was so silly, sometimes. My plan was pretty simple, hardly required any thought at all. I got away from all my bullying troubles, and started over on a clean slate. With Yugi.

Yep, I was moving to America! No one knew me there, they couldn't torment me, since they didn't know what was happening, I spoke almost-fluent English, and I would be away from Ushio and... Tea, plus, on the super-special-awesome side, I would be moving in with Yugi. HUZZAH!

I could practically _feel_ Yugi trembling through the phone. "Ok, Aibou," I soothed, "why don't you sit down?"

"_Ok, ok, I'm down. Just... SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE, you know?"_ he tried to convey his happiness with excited noises.

I laughed again, "Yes, I know. You're sure you won't mind having me?"

"_Of course not!"_ Yugi went on a rant about all the things we could do once I was there, _"...and we could go to the arcade, and the movies, and the park – it'll be great!"_

We talked and laughed for hours after that, simply catching up. His new friend, Ryou, was part-albino. The only person who was remotely mean to him was, apparently, a blonde freshman named Dash **(A/N: DP reference )**

When we finally did hang up – about five-ish – I knew practically everything about what my new school was like. No uniform: good. Absent-minded teachers: good. Yugi all to myself all day every day: excellent.

The day finally came for my plane to leave; for me to move in with Yugi. School had ended for the holidays, so hopefully people wouldn't notice I'd left. The drive to the air port was long and quiet, and mum was constantly asking if I'd packed all my underwear. Most of my things had been shipped a week or so before, so they'd already be at Yugi's house when I got there. My parents waited for me as I submitted my luggage to the disinterested lady at the counter and waved goodbye to me when they weren't allowed in the traveller's lounge. The terminal was just as busy and congested as it was the day Yugi left all those months ago, but I finally found somewhere to wait for my flight outside Gloria Jean's Coffee.

_Why do they take all this stuff off you at customs then sell it right before you get on the plane?_ I'd always wondered. Airport psychology, it was, just like supermarket psychology. Did you know most people shop in an anti-clockwise direction? It's a conspiracy, I'm telling you...

My flight was called, at last, by the almost droning voice across the PA system. I got my ticket and passport out and grabbed my carry-on, lining up at the gate with everyone else on the plane. The ridiculously happy air-hostess treated me like a child as soon as she saw my ticket, calling me happily by my first name. Stupid, annoying 'unaccompanied minor' treatment can be either really good, or really, _really_ bad.

I was seated at the back of the plane, where the hostesses could keep an eye on me. They never stop smiling! Anything that can be permanently happy in a cramped space with a crying baby for several hours is obviously not human. Half way through the ten-and-a-quarter hour flight, I'd compiled a list of how many ways one might attempt to kill one, another list of ways I could kill a cane-toad, another of things I would do if I were an Egyptian Pharaoh (like _that'll_ ever happen) and my least-favourite components on the periodic table.

The guy in the row across from me who smelled like mushrooms and had plastic bags on his hands and feet kept giving me weird looks, so I turned to the window and tried to get some sleep.

I slept most of the rest of the way and was awoken by the ever-smiling hostess shaking my shoulder and telling me we had arrived. It was a reasonable-sized city called Seattle. I shuffled off with the mindless crowds and to the conveyer belt, grabbing the bags I had and almost running to the arrivals lounge.

I was met by a very enthusiastic Yugi. As soon as he saw me and I him, he scurried up to me, dodging around the people greeting families and friends.

He looked just the same, but there was something different about the way he smiled at me just before he death-tackled me into one of his bear hugs. He looked different but the same, like I was seeing him in a new light. He was almost... beautiful...

_Where did that come from?_ I wondered to myself as I embraced my best friend, burying my face into his soft hair. Grandpa Mutou caught up with us, chuckling at Yugi, who was clinging to my waist tightly. Even when we walked out to the car, Yugi didn't let go of me completely. He took one of my two suitcases so I would have a free hand to hold his.

As soon as we piled all my belongings into the car, Grandpa started it and we were off. Yugi and I were in the backseat, hands entwined between us. Only then did it really sink in; I wasn't going to see my parents much anymore, if ever. I'd just moved out.

I didn't want to cry, but the fact that I'd just moved away from my family crashed down on me like a ton of bricks. I sniffed. Yugi looked at me before smiling softly and pulling my head down to his shoulder. With him stroking my hair and whispering sweet nothings to me, I cried.

I was still pretty shaken when we got to Yugi's new, two-storey house. He helped me drag my luggage up the stairs to a large room the size of two. A big dividing door was pushed back against the wall, painted light blue on what I could tell was Yugi's side of the room and the other was navy blue. All the things that I'd shipped over – my dresser, my bed, that sort of thing – were set up just like they were at my old home. It was comforting, especially knowing that Yugi was practically in the same room as me.

He awkwardly cracked his knuckles, but not in a threatening way and gave a nervous chuckle, "Sorry if you wanted a completely separate room, but there are the dividers, or you could stay in the guest room and we could redecorate that if you don't like it–"

I cut off his rant with a brief hug, but let go before I could be taken over by the new feeling in my chest I got whenever I was close to him. We spent the next hour or so unpacking what I'd brought with me, then we went downstairs and flopped on the couch, mindlessly chatting about whatever came up. It was nice.

It'd taken me a few weeks, but I settled in well with Yugi. School was much better than it'd been back in Japan, and I could speak, write and read fluent English now. I'd made a few friends – Ryou, who Yugi told me about; Bakura, who looked suspiciously like Ryou but scarier; Marik and Malik, who were Egyptian and absolutely insane, Marik more so than Malik, who was calmer acting and looking. It was about six months after we'd formed our band of look-a-likes that Joey came into the picture. He was tall, blonde and spoke with a heavy Brooklyn accent.

We were all currently set up around a circular table in the corner of the cafeteria. Yugi was just next to me – bless him, he'd made my lunch since I was too lazy to do it myself – with Ryou on his other side. Bakura was next to him, then Marik and Malik, then Joey on my opposite side. He was vacuuming in food like there was no tomorrow – there might not be, either. We had a nasty physics test that afternoon. But, test or not, I'd finally decided to tell Yugi about the flutter that had been building in my chest only around him for the past month or so. I'd spoken to Grandpa Mutou, and he'd told me what he thought it was, I'd consulted the teen section library, heck; I'd even been to see the guidance councillor! They all told me ultimately the same thing; _you're in love with him._

Yes, apparently I was gay for my best friend. Oh, well. At least it _was_ Yugi. Dear, sweet Yugi. Ahh...

'_No, now is not the time to go into a day dream,'_ I told myself, _'You have to tell Yugi before lunch is over.'_ It wasn't the most romantic thing, but I wanted to tell him as soon as possible, and the nearest bookings for that nice restaurant in town were weeks away; I didn't have that much time. So, to compensate, I'd made him a sandwich platter and bought a bottle of his favourite lemonade, and arranged a nice table in the abandoned Home-Economics room. Joey guffawed loudly at something I hadn't heard in my mentally-dead moment, but Yugi was blushing heavily, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. I looked quickly back up at his eyes, not wanting to get too distracted.

"Um, Yugi?" I asked quietly, "Can I talk to you a minute?"

Everyone at the table went 'oooOOOoooh' at this. What was that about? Yugi blushed again – Ra, he's cute – and excused us, but not before throwing a chip at Joey, who was making kissy-kissy faces at him. I took Yugi's hand and led him through the halls, avoiding anywhere there might be large crowds. We arrived at our destination which was, thankfully, untouched. I pulled Yugi's chair out for him, like a gentleman, and offered him some lemonade before I took anything for myself, like a gentleman. Grandpa Mutou said that charm was my best bet, so I wasn't taking any chances; I only had one shot at winning Yugi's heart. If I didn't succeed now, he'd never look at me again. Ever.

Yugi smiled and accepted the drink, even if there was a curious and confused look in his expressive eyes. We snacked silently for a moment, the only sound was the occasional sloshing the lemonade made when one of us went for a refill. I hadn't meant for it to be this awkward, I'd even done some reading on idle chat, but Gods, I was _not_ mentioning the weather.

Yugi cleared his throat, polishing off a cheese sandwich and cracking his fingers, "So... I'm confused. I mean, this is really nice, just us... alone... but, what's going on?"

"Well, uh," I looked at my lap and tried again, "Yugi, there's s-something I-I wanted to tell you..."

Yugi cocked his head to the side, "And you couldn't tell me in front of the others?"

I shook my head, "No. It's too important to just say in front of everyone. I wanted it to be better, but I couldn't wait that long; not for this. Yugi," I took his hand and covered it with both of my own on the tabletop, staring intently into his eyes, "I've been feeling strange around you, lately, like I'm... weightless, or something, I can't explain it, but it's the best thing I've ever felt. I don't want it to end, not ever; I want to feel it every day, I want you to feel it, too, just for me, as I feel it for you. I want to be close to you all the time, I can barely breathe when I'm close to you, but, at the same time, it's like there's too much air. I really can't put it into words, but you'll know how it feels... if you'll return my feelings..."

His eyes widened. Maybe he guessed what I was trying to tell him. Well, here goes...

"Yugi..."

_Come on, come on; just say it already!_

"I..."

_It's not really _that_ hard, is it?_

"I l-l-lo..."

_You've done this a million times in your head! Come on, man!_

"Yami?"

_He's getting up; he's going to walk away!_

"Yami, are you alright?"

_Come oon, you can doo eet!_

"Yugi, please, sit down..." he did, thankfully, but he looked a little scared. I hate that look; it makes me feel guilty – like I just murdered every puppy and kitten in an animal welfare shelter.

_Alright, boy; just look him in the eye, say 'I love you' and kiss him. Job done._

I made a quick mental note that I needed to find out who the voice was, but I concentrated on the task at hand; spitting out three, simple words that would change my life, for better or worse, I didn't know yet. I stood and walked around to Yugi's side of the table, kneeling on the floor so I was at eye-level with him. Even with him on the chair, he was an inch or so smaller than me. I slowly raised one hands and caressed his cheek, using the other to reassuringly run my thumb across his knuckles. He stiffened in his chair, sitting straight and tall as he could. His eyes were wide, his breathing was slightly laboured and his face was flushed. Our noses were a hair's breadth apart, hardly any room for ait between us. I could feel his cool breath on my face, ghosting teasingly against my lips.

_Perfect opportunity; KISS HIM!_

And so I did. I leaned forward barely an inch and pressed against his smooth lips. He jolted in surprise, but the taste of Yugi was so addicting I followed his movement, using the hand against his cheek to cup his chin and hold him there. My eyes were closed, but I did peek once – just as his own amethysts were fluttering closed. I felt something spark, what, I didn't know, but it was damn nice. The darkness of my eyelids suddenly exploded in bursts of colourful fireworks as Yugi wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling him closer to my chest. I let my hands slip from his face and wrist to lock around his waist, drawing him to the floor with me. I prodded the seam of his lips with my tongue, silently pleading for entrance. He slowly opened up, and I snaked in.

If his lips were ambrosia, his mouth was _heaven_. Like strawberries and Starburst lollies, sweet but you could never ignore it. I'll admit it, I moaned first. Who wouldn't? Yugi shyly met my exploring tongue with his. Oh, _oh_... Screw the test; I was _not_ leaving this until I was satisfied.

When we finally broke for air, both of us were panting heavily. I was grinning like a maniac, one of those deliriously-happy looks. Yugi smiled dreamily and giggled, resting out foreheads together. We were both still on the floor, but I don't think either of us noticed. I gazed lovingly into Yugi's eyes, running my fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, sighing blissfully. I sat, staring in awe at the image of perfection in front of me. How did I get so lucky?

_Well, some deprived chick with a laptop and too much time on her hands was without internet for a while and came up with–_

Completely ignoring the voice, which sounded suspiciously like a fourteen-year-old girl, give or take a few years, I nuzzled Yugi's nose. He opened his violet jewels sluggishly, humming quietly in his throat. I sighed, perfectly content to just sit there with him in my lap for the rest of the day. Alas, I hadn't actually told him what I'd meant to tell him. Meh, maybe he'd figure it out... he was smart like that.

Then he said something that made my heart leap up to my mouth and do a Russian dance; "I love you, Yami."

I told you he was smart. I couldn't contain the smile that almost painfully tugged my face up. You know the kind, when your face is absolutely _caning_ but you're just too damn happy to stop smiling? That's what it was like. I pulled Yugi closer to me, propping my chin on his head. "I love _you_, Yugi. That's what I wanted to tell you."

He sighed, almost tiredly, but still sounded happy. "I know you, Yami. I know what you wanted to say. And no, you are not sleeping in my bed tonight."

"_Darnit!_"

"Yugi, come on, please, don't do this!" I pleaded desperately. He couldn't honestly mean it, could he? It _was_ just a joke...

"I'm perfectly serious about this, Yami." Yugi answered, looking directly into my eyes, "I'm going to learn the violin, whether you like it or not."

I tried to reason with him, "But, _Aibou-koi_, what am I going to do while you're doing that? I'll be so lonely!"

Yugi remained perfectly calm, walking over to his closet. "Well," he began, fishing something out; something big, "I thought you could do this." He finally produced a large box that looked like a rectangle that someone shrunk one end of. It was wrapped in red paper with a purple bow. "It _was_ for your birthday, but... I think you could have it now." He smiled, shuffling the box over to me. I took it from him, not wanting him to strain himself; what would I do if Yugi were _really_ hurt? I'd rather not think about it.

I eyed the box warily, "So this was going to be my present?" I asked, looking from Yugi to the gift.

"Well, yeah, but I don't want you to feel left out while I've got my violin," he gestured to the smaller case resting on his bed, "so you can open it now."

I set the box on the floor – it was surprisingly heavy – and looked at it. Yugi sat next to me, leaning gently on my shoulder. I quickly tore at the wrapping paper, suddenly desperate to see what it was. When the paper was nothing but ribbons gathered around my knees, I took in the box. It was more of a case, black leather with silver hinges, buckles and handle. There was a box below it, which I decided to open first. There were a few strange looking cords, and an even stranger stand, plus a black folder which was empty. Yugi whined impatiently. I went for the latch holding the case closed and pushed the lid up.

A sleek black electric guitar stared back at me, with gold and silver flames painted around the bottom. Red and purple fire snaked up the neck, twisting around under the strings. _Wow_. This was the one I'd been admiring in the shop! The really... expensive... one...

"Yugi, how much did this cost?" I asked, tearing my eyes from the instrument.

He looked pointedly away, "I don't see how that's important." He rubbed the back of his neck, wriggling his toes so they cracked.

"_Yuugi,_" I looked at him sternly, "I don't want you spending all your money on me. I'm perfectly happy with just you." Most teenagers would've already slept with someone by now, but Yugi refused to let me take him. He was always giving me excuses – we're under the legal age, not till marriage, I love you but I'm not ready, etc.

"I told you, Yami; I'm not ready for that." He tiredly rubbed his eyes, looking exasperated. I really didn't want to pressure him into anything, really, I didn't, but I was having second thoughts about Yugi's feelings for me. He said he loved me, he actually said it before I did, but... did he really? We'd do the things my parents always did – and they were married – whenever they had even a minute's free time; we'd snuggle up on the couch with some cheesy romantic movie and a bowl of homemade popcorn, hold hands under the desk at school just so we were always in contact, spend ages just laying there staring at each other... I was working myself into an angst storm, but I had to ask.

"Yugi... do you love me?" I almost whispered. His head snapped up so fast I was afraid he would get whiplash. His eyes were wide and his face horrified, as if someone asked him to choose between Joey, Ryou and Malik's lives or Grandpa Mutou's. He gazed at me with such confused and hurt eyes and I felt like the scum of the earth for being the reason he made that face.

"_What_?" he hissed, his voice shaking from either anger or fear, I couldn't tell, "Why would you even _think_ that? You are my life! I love you more than I care about my own mother! We practically grew up together; you know me better than anyone and you ask _'Do. You. Love. Me?'_" He poked me in the chest when he repeated my question. He looked almost... betrayed, like I had offended him by having that worry on my mind.

"It's just..." I tried to explain, "You say you love me, and I do believe you, and I love you too, but you aren't willing to give yourself to me. I'm not sure if I've done something wrong or what."

My boyfriend inched closer to me, his head down and hand before him, outstretched to me. He rested it gently on my knee, but didn't meet my eyes. "I'm just... not confidant enough, ok? I'm scared you won't like it, or you'll compare me to someone else. I'm not a model, I'm not perfect. I guess I'm just scared that next to you, I'll be – you know – ugly." I almost didn't hear the last word, but it made me angry. Not at him, I could never be angry at Yugi for more than ten minutes, but angry that he had that misconception of himself. I took his face in my hands and pulled him closer so I could look at him, but he kept his eyes trained on the floor.

"Yugi," I breathed, "how could you say that? You're beautiful. No one's perfect – I know that – but you're as close to it as I'm going to get in this life; as anyone's going to get! Not only that, but you're smart, and funny, and kind to everyone. You don't need to have a model body for me to love you; you just need to keep being my Yugi."

He looked somewhat relieved when I said that. It maybe wasn't the most inspiring speech ever, but I was improvising. He snuggled closer to me, resting back into my chest. I happily pulled him into my lap and we sat there for a while. Eventually, Grandpa Mutou came up and announced dinner, but he quietly left upon seeing our position. A little later he came up again, telling us he was going to visit his friend and would probably end up staying there for the night, and that he wouldn't be home until the next afternoon. Yugi had turned and was facing me by that time, so he never noticed the knowing wink his grandfather sent me or the thankful nod I replied with.

When I heard the front door downstairs close, I pulled Yugi's face up to mine and kissed him. He sighed through his nose, but didn't pull away. I pushed for a make-out, but he turned his face away before that could happen. He looked at me again, but he looked sadly hopeless, as if he just didn't know what to do with himself anymore. He took a shuddery breath, and then exhaled the same way. Was something wrong? I was just about to ask when he spoke.

"Is that all you want, Yami?" he asked. I didn't know what he meant, at the time, but he elaborated in his next question; "Is sex all you want from me?"

I sat back, appalled. "_No!_ Gods, no – how could you think that? All the times I've told you I love you–!"

"All the times I've told you the same thing and you still had to ask!" he snapped. I was being stupid, I knew that, but I refused to listen to his point. Instead, I gripped his head and kissed him again. He tried to pull away, but I tangled one hand in the hair at the back of his head and held his mouth to mine. He was panicking, I could feel him struggling against my hold but I didn't let him go. He eventually went limp and let me kiss him. I gathered him in my arms and gently set him on the bed, laying half-on-half-off him. When I pulled away, there were a few tears glistening in his now dull eyes, staining his cheeks and tiny water droplets clinging to his long eyelashes like morning dew to a spider's web. I stroked his face, gazing at him lovingly. He sniffed a few times, and I wiped his tears away with the pad of my thumb.

"You are mine, Yugi," I began, wincing faintly at the scared look in his eyes, "as I am yours. Mind," I kissed his forehead, glad that he no longer looked scared, "soul," I kissed the tears off his slightly flushed cheeks, "but I can wait for body." I kissed his nose. He smiled at me, looking relieved. I probably terrified him. I rested out foreheads together, perfectly content to stare into his eyes for the rest of the night. Yugi slowly wrapped his arms around my neck. I smiled adoringly at him. If he wasn't ready, then I could – I _would_ – wait for him.

I hummed quietly to him, some random love-song I heard on YouTube called 'Come on get higher' or something. **(A/N: don't own the song.)** "_Come on get higher on the kiss of my lips, faith and desire and the swing of your hips. You pulled me down hard, and drowned me in love..._"

He smiled a little awkwardly at me, looking a little embarrassed before he said, "You sing well. If you learn your guitar, you could start a band or something."

"Not unless you're in it with me." I nuzzled his neck. It may have only been a spur-of-the-moment comment/random thought, but it was actually a pretty good idea. I'd heard Yugi singing in the shower – don't look at me like that, perving and observing may as well be the same thing anyway – and he was really, really good. He was always tapping on his desk in class – with the hand that wasn't clasped within mine – and he came up with really complicated rhythms. Ryou's been taking piano lessons since he was eight, and he and Bakura were taking guitar lessons with the music teacher for some 'quality bonding', as Ryou called it. Joey had an old acoustic guitar at his house, and he could play a few songs on it. Marik and Malik just liked hitting things, so they could play drums or something... it all came together in my head. Thumping music, two drum kits, three guitars, a keyboard an altered violin, two lead singers, guitarists as back up... I grinned. Whether Yugi knew it or not, he'd just given me a new life aspiration.

**(A/N: oh **_**god**_**, that was an epic fail...)**

**~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~**

**5 YEARS LATER**

**~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~**

The clouds rolled over the hazy blue sky above a block of crummy units.

A woman with steely blue eyes and hair like straw from dying it so many times sighed exasperatedly as a loud, wailing cry echoed from somewhere in the small apartment she lived in. She stormed down the short hall to a room with a closed door and slammed it open. She picked up the crying mass and stuffed a dummy into its mouth. The baby continued to cry around it, spitting the slobbered-on thing back onto his mother's shoulder. The woman, who was actually Tea Gardner, sighed again. She really should've taken one of those parenting courses. Maybe then she'd know how to stop the baby crying. Maybe it was hungry? She'd given it a bottle barely an hour ago, and changed it, then put it to bed.

Tea calmed the infant and set it down in the crib again and slumped out of the room, flopping onto the couch of her crumbling apartment. Her last boyfriend, Ushio (a tall muscle man she knew in high school, the same one who had bullied Yugi) had gotten her pregnant and left before she found out, successfully avoiding paying child support, as he'd gone without leaving any future contact details or addresses. She slapped her hand across the coffee table for the remote, finding it and flicking the small, crackly television to MTV, one of the only channels she could get good reception on. A catchy, upbeat drum beat blared from the speakers accompanied by a rhythmic guitar tune. She pulled her face out of the worn, paper-thin cushion and looked at the screen.

**(A/N: the music video is based heavily on the real one. At least, some of it is)**

Someone was spray painting an inverted pyramid with an eye in the centre onto a wall. Flyers with the same symbol on them were blowing through a city on the wind, random people catching them, tapping their friends' shoulders and running off in the same direction as whomever else got the notices.

A group of people – presumably the band, since half of them had guitars strapped to their backs and speakers in their arms – trampled down a narrow staircase. The video didn't show their faces, but the bodies were clad in mostly black leather, a few ratty jeans and chains here and there. Tea immediately recognised this as the signature dress for one of the best bands of all time, and her absolute favourite, _Millennium_. They had come out of seemingly nowhere, formed from a group of friends hanging out in the school music room. Tea had never actually seen what the band members looked like, only heard their songs and listened to interviews with them on the radio. They hadn't been around long; after all, they wouldn't be on _Oprah_ just like that.

The music video Tea was currently watching was for their new song, Skater Boy. When asked about it by radio show presenters, the lead singer would simply say 'the inspiration is in the song'.

The group went down another flight of stairs and to a parking lot. They slunk over to a car at what looked like random, one of them in skin-tight jeans with chains and white hair picking the door lock and opening the station wagon for the others. They piled in with all their gear and sparked the car to life. When the singing started, the only person not in the car was the lead.

"_He was a boy,_

_She was a girl._

_Can I make it any more obvious?"_

Tea held in her gasp when she saw the singer clearly. He had wild, tri-coloured hair and bright crimson eyes that pierced through the woman on the sofa, even though it was only an image on a cheap TV. Clad from head to toe in black leather that was like a second skin on him, Yami sang out in his deep, smooth-as-honey voice. He'd matured well, Tea noticed, with a sharp chin and slanted eyes, aquiline nose and high cheekbones with full lips. He certainly wasn't scrawny, but he wasn't buff either. Nicely muscled, but not so much he looked bulky.

He dove into the car just before the people in it shut the door.

"_He was a punk,"_

The car drove past a skate park, the people in it gliding effortlessly around the bowl and performing impressive leaps off ramps. All darkly clothed, each with a wild grin; they were enjoying themselves. Bright green grass and a brilliant blue sky surrounded the skaters playing in the golden sunlight. Next to the park was a studio-like building, with walls made of dull red brick and big, imposing double doors. The brunette thought both places looked familiar, but couldn't put her finger on it. The camera left the car and went through the doors and to the inside of the dance studio, which was mostly dull grey, probably filmed that way. Ballerinas in grey, white and pink tutus with blank faces simultaneously swung their ramrod straight legs.

Tea remembered where she'd seen these places; that was her old dance studio! And the park next to it her mother always told her not to go to as it had 'punks' and 'bad people' hanging out in it.

"_She did ballet,_

_What more can I say?_

_He wanted her,_

_She'd never tell,_

_Secretly she wanted him as well."_

But... he couldn't have caught her looking at him, could he? She'd been so discreet, eyeing him through the window of the cafeteria when he'd sat outside the library with his short friend, or glancing at him during class, or using PE as an excuse to see him stretch. He definitely wasn't bad looking, even back then, if only he'd worn the right clothes to show himself off, but no. He'd worn baggy, torn things that hid his figure and made him look questionable at best.

The camera focussed back on the wagon, showing the white-haired man driving, and a blonde man with a spiky afro in the backseat with another longhaired blonde. A teen with shaggy blonde hair was cramped into the backseat with them, some of the mike stands showing above the seat but there were two guitars visible in between the front seats. Yami was in the passenger seat, his practically feral grin matching the driver's.

Some of the ballerinas from the studio were passing the skate park, noses high in the air and completely ignoring the laughing boys, obviously thinking that they were too good to associate with people of that standard. There were massive differences in their clothing choices; Baggy and black vs. Pretty in pink.

"_But all of her friends,_

_Stuck up their nose;_

_They had a problem with _

_His baggy clothes,"_

Tea had never liked baggy things; they didn't show off her dancer's figure very well at all. They hadn't done wonders for Yami, either, but he never wore anything else. She supposed it gave him character, now that she thought about it, but it was better to look good and be popular than be loner and fade into the crowd. **(A/N: I do not agree with this in anyway; be individual... just like everyone else)**

"_He was a skater boy,_

_She said see ya later boy,_

_He wasn't good enough for her._

_She had a pretty face,_

_But her head was up in space._

_She needed to come back down to earth."_

The drums and guitars were back in full force as the car swerved into an abandoned parking lot in front of a crumbling block of flats that looked suspiciously like the place across the road from Tea's building. There were two more people there; both doubles of the singer and the driver. They were setting up big speakers and two drum kits, cords running to and from somewhere off screen. Both kits were on small, stage-like stands, with stools and sticks already there. More mini-stages were dropped to the cement randomly, with electric cords resting on them. The stolen vehicle screeched to a stop – even if it couldn't be heard over the music, Tea could see the tire marks and the faintly rising smoke from the rear wheels – and the band jumped out. They grabbed the gear they'd brought with them and swarmed over to the set up, parking the car in the middle.

The smaller Yami clone set up two mike stands on the roof of the car then jumped down. The shaggy blonde ran around the lot with a spray paint can, inking out the band emblem. The station wagon was right in the centre of the eye. The longhaired blondes perched themselves behind the drum kits, the shaggy blonde and the scary white-haired guy taking the mini stages and the other white haired taking a microphone and standing next to the first white haired.

"_Five years from now,_

_She sits at home._

_Feeding the baby_

_She's all alone."_

As the crowd with the flyers trampled down the streets, a woman looked out the window of a block of flats. A baby was resting on her hip, and the woman was wearing a dancer-style shirt. Pictures of ballerinas stood out on the dull walls behind her. The crowd continued, not giving a second thought or even a first glance at the building.

"_She turns on TV,_

_Guess who she sees?_

_Skater boy rocking up MTV"_

"_She calls up her friends,_

_They already know,_

_And they've all got_

_Tickets to see his show,"_

Two people came to the door of the flat, one a pretty young adult and the other a middle aged woman. The latter took the baby, while the former grabbed the dancer's hand and dragged her down and out to join the swarming crowd. They reached the parking lot, crowding around the car and stages. The band didn't seem to mind, in fact, they grinned. Even through the TV, you could see the delight in their eyes. By now, Tea was sitting up. This video _had_ to be about her! There was no way it meant anyone else.

"_She tags along,_

_Stands in the crowd,_

_Looks up at the man_

_That she turned down."_

It _definitely_ couldn't mean anyone else. Yami never had a relationship that she knew of, so he never asked anyone out, so she was the only one who ever rejected him. Unless he got himself a girlfriend after he disappeared, he had been single his whole life. Considering how he looked now, Tea found that kind of sad. Who wouldn't want to snatch up the leather-clad god if he was offered to them? With that thought in mind, she silently reprimanded herself for letting her friends drag her off that day back in high school. She could've said yes, changed up his wardrobe then be with the most desirable boy in school. He was head-over-heels for her, even now, she told herself; he wouldn't mind going shopping with her. She could use his credit cards, get herself something nice, and flaunt the fact that she had a world-famous rock-star wrapped around her little finger. Yes! That would be what she'd do... the only problem left was getting him to find her.

"_He was a skater boy,_

_She said see ya later boy,_

_He wasn't good enough for her._

_Now he's a superstar,_

_Slammin' on his guitar,_

_Does your pretty face see what he's worth?"_

"_He was a skater boy,_

_She said see ya later boy,_

_He wasn't good enough for her._

_Now he's a superstar,_

_Slammin' on his guitar,_

_Does your pretty face see what he's worth?"_

Oh, yes, Tea most certainly saw that now. If she could win him back, she'd have money, fame, _and_ a drool-worthy boyfriend. Of course, she'd have to keep her baby secret for at least a year before she showed him to the public, so that way the media would start stirring up myths of her and Yami starting a family, then he'd actually propose to make the stories true – at her own request – and everything would be perfect. Maybe they'd have an actual child of their own after that.

While Tea was spacing out, thinking up ridiculous wedding dress designs – ranging from Princess Diana's to something not even a stripper would wear – the smaller Yami clone started singing, Yami taking a step back on the car's roof to play his guitar with full concentration.

"_Sorry girl but you missed out,_

_Well tough luck that boy's mine now._

_We are more than just good friends,_

_This is how the story ends."_

Tea came back to reality when the words 'that boy's mine now' flew from the new singer's mouth. Was he supposed to represent her? They didn't do a very good job; couldn't they've gotten Lady GaGa to sing in her place or something? Anyone but the scrawny rip off they had singing now. Maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. The boy was cute, with his big purple eyes, which were _soooo_ contact lenses, and hair similar to Yami's. He had a very girlish figure which only showed because of the leather and buckles clinging to his wide hips and narrow waist. Full lips that, even if Tea hated to admit it, looked completely natural easily sang out the words. The sun beat down on his pale skin, which caused an effect akin to the oh-so-famous 'pregnancy glow' that she never experienced nor achieved during her nine months of conception.

"_Too bad that you couldn't see,_

_See the man that boy could be,_

_There is more than meets the eye,_

_I see the soul that is inside."_

Ok... maybe she didn't look at Yami any further than his too-big shirt or shredded, stained jeans. But, really, all hit shirts had _some_ stupid/sarcastic comment on them, like the black Christmas one which had a picture of Rudolph in a recliner with a shot gun beside him, with eight reindeer heads hung on the wall behind the chair and the words 'All of the other reindeers **used** to laugh and call him names' scrawled out in grey. **(A/N: I actually have this shirt. Got it in the men's section of BIG W)** It was only one of the many he sported, going from 'I'd tell you to go to Hell but I work there and I don't want to see you every day' to 'I'm not a dumb as you look'. She didn't know why she remembered that, maybe because she had an extensive collection of photos of him which she still kept under her bed.

Moving on...

The music softened to just the guitar, the sound quality of the TV wasn't good enough to tell if the drums were still going or not.

"_He's just a boy,_

_And I'm just a girl._

_Can I make it any more obvious?_

_We are in love,_

_Haven't you heard?_

_How we rock each other's world!"_

The music came back at full force, distracting Tea from thinking too hard on what the boy sang. We wouldn't want her to hurt herself, would we? The said boy had taken up lead vocals, the calmer white haired remaining on back up and Yami joining him. She knew the lyrics had changed, but did Yami _have_ to stop singing?

"_He was a skater boy,_

_I said see ya later boy,_

_I'll be back stage after the show._

_I'll be at our studio,_

_Singing the song we wrote,_

_About a girl you used to know."_

"_He was a skater boy,_

_I said see ya later boy,_

_I'll be back stage after the show._

_I'll be at our studio,_

_Singing the song we wrote,_

_About a girl you used to know."_

The song ended with the band leaping down into the crowd, grabbing their mike stands and smashing the car, standing victoriously atop it, even when a police car screeched into the lot. The MTV announcer-type-man's voice crackled over the speakers and said, "_Well, folks, that was _Millennium_ with their newest song, _Skater Boy_! They'll be kicking off their world tour in Domino, Japan tomorrow night_!"

Tea shrieked like a turkey would when hit by a car and fell off the couch. She picked herself up and fumbled for the phone. The tickets were probably a lost cause anyway; they'd be all sold out by now, unless someone she knew had some. How would Yami find her if she didn't turn up at one of his concerts? She punched in a few digits, hit a button and clumsily smacked another number before hitting the 'call' button. The buzzing ringtone stopped after a minute or so, two voices answering.

Rebecca, ever the alert answered with a perky, "_Hello?_"

Mai, who flat out refused to even be awake before eight-thirty just huffed and grumbled about ungodly hours of the day and how they should be illegal.

"Hey, sorry to bother you both, but I need to ask you something." Tea quickly said, forgoing formalities and most politeness. Rebecca and Mai, who realised they were on a three way call and assuming with who, switched their much fancier phones to double-dial as well. Two faint 'clicks' were all the invitation Tea needed to spring into her worried excitement. She forgot that neither of the blondes would have a clue what she was talking about, especially at this hour, but she didn't have the time to wait for them to come to their senses completely.

"Do you think we can still get tickets?" Tea pestered worriedly. If they couldn't, then her Yami – who was only in Domino to come back for her, she was sure – would never find her. He couldn't, after all, just up and leave his fans to come and sweep her off her feet. Not that she'd mind if he did...

"_What tickets, Tea? Tickets to the _Millennium_ concert tomorrow? I've got some. Had to fight another girl for her place in line, but I got them. There's one for you too."_ Rebecca told her. Always the organised one who seemed to pull money out her ears, of course she would have a ticket for Tea. The brunette was silently thankful; heavens knew _she_ couldn't afford a ticket, let alone three.

Mai seemed to brighten up at the mention of her favourite band. "_Oh, yeah, that's tomorrow; you can come on such short notice, right, Tea?"_

"Of course I can come! I'll call a baby sitter." Tea said confidently. After saying good night and hanging up, the brunette waited impatiently for at least six am. That was an ok time to call a baby sitter on the same day you needed babysitting, right? The teenager Tea always hired hadn't been happy, but had grudgingly agreed. After all, Tea was paying her thirty bucks a night. Too jittery to get herself some sleep, the blue-eyed woman flitted through her cramped closet, switching on the baby monitor in her room. There had to be _something_ she could wear that Yami would like... the only thing she could find was a red number more appropriate for a restaurant date than a mostly rock concert. Shoes she could do, she'd gotten enough ten-dollar ones from the second-hand shop to last a lifetime.

She'd have to go to _Suprè_ later and hope they had a rack outside the door. When she was reunited with Yami, this would never be a problem anymore. She could just buy the whole shop! With a scary grin and an attitude to match, Tea mentally prepped herself for being smothered in affection by her Yami.

Yami, who felt unexplainable sick for a second before it passed, was seated in the comfy, sixties-seventies style retro booth seats in their sleek, pitch black tour bus with the shining golden emblem on either side. On the table in front of him were two cans of fizzy drink, and next to him was his beloved aibou; Yugi. The boy was curled into the plush seat, snuggled into Yami's side with the elder's arm over his shoulders. His head was resting on the crook of Yami's shoulder, eyes closed, completely content with where he was.

The pair was still together and very happy with each other. No one would've thought that high school sweet hearts would last this long, but the bus was full of examples.

Malik and Marik, who had gotten together around the same time as Yami and Yugi, were sleeping, probably sprawled out on the beds in the top level of the expensive vehicle. Ryou was reading and Bakura was probably buried up to his shoulders in the mini-fridge, chowing down on raw steak while the manager and Malik's older sister, Ishizu, couldn't see him. The albinos had taken their time confessing but they were still only the second last of the four couples on the bus to hook up. Their sponsor, Seto Kaiba, Yami's cousin, didn't trust anyone with his personally designed and funded bus, so he was driving. He and Joey were, surprisingly, together, too, despite how much they still argued. They'd been the last to jump on the band wagon.

Ishizu, who the gang had met when Malik took them to see an Egyptian exhibit at the museum, was fretting over concert locations, her papers strewn across the bench she was perched in front of on a tall stool. The black-haired-blue-eyed woman was the mother figure of the group.

Joey was snoring quite loudly on the seats by the opposite window of the lead singers, occasionally mumbling about a dragon stealing his giant doughnut. It was nothing that couldn't be ignored after having been around the blonde so long.

Yugi stretched and yawned, cracking several parts of his person, before nuzzling his face into Yami's neck. He'd always found cracking joints to be quite amusing, especially when he found he could bend his toes backwards so far his toenails touched the top of his foot. **(A/N: I can actually do this)**

Yami, quite used to the odd pass time, smiled down at his love. Nothing much had changed between them since he first moved in with Yugi, other than the fact that they were a couple. They were still friends; despite the fact that Yugi was now very suspicious of Yami since he'd found jewellery catalogues under his pillow, most of them marked at the ring section. A few very pretty, but expensive, rings had been circled in marker pen, and Yami had been nervous and stumbled over his words when he tried to explain what they were doing there. In his mind, before he asked Tea out, Yami had imagined several ways of proposing and many different rings, but now they all seemed too daggy for Yugi. Not that the purple-eyed boy would mind, he liked the simple things in life, but Yami wanted it to be special. When he finally found a ring he was happy with and planned out the perfect evening, that was. Yugi had helped him so much; he wanted everything to be perfect.

That was his inspiration for the latest song. How Tea so brutally rejected him and Yugi helped him afterwards. He'd come to a creative block when the time came to name the song, but Yugi had suggested 'Skater Boy', as that's what both he and Yami used to be, and a frequently mentioned person in the song. It was possible the most bubbly song any of the band members had ever written, aside from Ryou, who couldn't write heavy drums to save his life.

Yami kissed Yugi's cheek and pulled the boy into his lap. Yugi squeaked, but settled down when Yami nuzzled his shoulder. If Yami wanted cuddles, then Yami got cuddles. No question. Yugi had learned that the hard way when Yami decided he needed Yugi-cuddles in the middle of their Astrology class. Yugi had smacked him away, but all he got in return was being swept into Yami's arms – still during class time – and carried to the tree they sat under outside for half an hour of being smothered in affection.

The bus trundled to a stop at some traffic lights, and Yami could hear Seto cursing up a storm. He wondered why, until he saw the rabid mob of fan girls just outside the black-tinted window. He knew they couldn't see him, but they knew he was there. Yugi stood up and glared at the window. Well, it was more of a cute pout, since Yugi honestly couldn't glare, but he broke his look of 'fury' when he stuck his tongue out and made faces at the people on the other side of the window. He continued to make a pig face, a fish and a bird when the bus lurched forward. There was a slight _crunch_, which Yami assumed meant they'd run over some of the mob. Not that he cared; it _was_ Seto driving, after all.

They arrived at the best – and only – five star hotel in Domino where they were staying. The group clambered out the door after the beefy guys in black suits outside the hotel lobby told them it was safe. There was a red carpet set out, and rope fences with even more security guys on either side of it. More screaming fans and paparazzi hollered for attention, waving merchandise and throwing bouquets of roses. Several girls fainted, a few guys fainted, and news crews followed their movements like hawks, firing questions like a G18 **(A/N: it's a gun)**. Cameras flashed like exploding stars and the security guards fought back the waves. Just another day in paradise...

Tea looked at herself in the mirror. She was done up in bright, candy-apple red lipstick, heavy eyeliner, strappy heels and a mini dress which had three diagonal stripes of blue, pink and purple. She nodded approvingly at herself, spinning around to make sure her bum didn't look like a tank and the remaining bump on her stomach didn't show. The doorbell rang, and she scurried to get it, tripping in her six-inch plastic heels. She flung open the creaky door and was met with an acne-ridden teenager. The dark-haired girl glared at Tea then mumbled, "Call me at least a day in advance, next time. I had to cancel going to the movies." She didn't say out loud how hooker-ish Tea looked. She'd keep that to herself.

The brunette fished her purse out from the pillows on the couch, dropping thirty dollars into the teen's hand. She then marched determinedly out the door, stormed down the stairs and waited impatiently on the kerb for Rebecca and Mai to arrive. She kicked a can away from her foot with a sneer. In a year or so, people would be falling over themselves to even get a glimpse of the girlfriend of the infamous Yami and she would never have to be in a place this daggy ever again.

A car pulled into the street, a red Ford Fiesta. The pair of blondes inside pushed open the back door before the car stopped, wanting to get to the concert as soon as possible and avoid unnecessary stops. Tea shuffled over into the middle seat, slamming the door shut behind her. Rebecca drove again, screaming at traffic lights and other cars. "Oh yeah, sure, just pull out, why don't you!"

Mai patted her shoulder and turned on the radio, "They're probably all going to the concert, too. They want to get there just as much as you do." On the radio, a _Millennium_ song played and the girls sang loudly to it. Yami wasn't singing lead, but he was the only back up and he played most of the guitar.

"_I'm going undeeeeeer! Drowning in yooooouuu, I'm falling foreveeeeeeer. I've got to break throoooouuuugh. I'm going under!_" **(A/N: Going Under by Evanescence)** Tea belted it out, forgetting the fact that, though she could dance, she couldn't sing to save her life. Mai and Rebeccca gave each other looks over the hand brake, trying to drown out the squawking woman by singing louder, Rebecca tapping the rhythm on the steering wheel.

Some random radio personality spoke when the song finished. _"We're here live before the concert with the members of _Millennium_! Tell me, it's barely an hour before the show; how are you all feeling?"_

A chorus of exclamations followed; 'Excited! Nervous... Fantastic! Sure, alright. Great! Pretty good.' None seemed to stand out particularly much, some were tenor and calm and others were gravelly and deep, but the two blondes and the brunette didn't hear the voice they were listening for.

The one that made the girls scream was a deep baritone which coolly replied with one word, _"Fine."_

"_So, what are you going to do to pass the time until you perform? Are there any pre-show rituals?"_ There was silence for a moment after the too-happy man spoke.

"_Well... not really."_ Yami answered cautiously, _"We're just enjoying the perks of our dressing room. There's some pretty cool stuff in here, like the air hockey table and the pin ball machine–"_

"_Yeah; there's a free vending machine!"_ one of the gravelly voices interrupted. There was a slight thumping sound, probably footsteps, a clang, and another 'whoosh' of someone sitting on a leather couch. Yami's voice mumbled 'idiot' then there was a swift smacking noise, followed by an 'ow!' The trio in the car shrieked and giggled, the Ford slowing down at the parking space outside the concert venue, which was a large building with many big stadiums within its halls. There were at least two real restaurants, a McDonalds, five bathrooms for each gender and a lounge for those waiting for the doors to open to the hall the show they were seeing was being performed in.

They were directed to a parking space by men in bright reflective jackets. They fought their way past the admission gates and into the concrete yard outside the grey cement-slathered building. There were many stalls set up selling merchandise, such as fifty-dollar shirts, eighty-dollar imitation pants and forty-dollar chain and jewellery sets. There were a few statuettes of the band members, pricing up to $160 and life-size cut outs. Tea was tempted to buy one, but she would be getting Yami back after this concert anyway, so she'd have the real thing.

The other concert-goers flowed through the many gates to the stadium like a tsunami, Tea, Rebecca and Mai swept along with them. There were some fanatics who had obviously tried too hard to get their hair identical to the bands. The stressed, pink and black afros and grey may-as-well-be dreadlocks told as much. Tea and her friends waited impatiently for the lights to dim, chatting idly amongst themselves and ignoring other's conversation around them. Boredom was just about to grip them in its painful clutches when the lights flickered out and the stage exploded in stars. Some random band ran on, earning cheers in thanks for finally starting. The beginners greeted the audience, said the name of their first song and played.

The time passed, and the opening act played their last song. Purple smoke seeped out from behind the speakers beside the stage, chasing the beginners off in spirals of gas. The drum kit sunk down on a podium, two more rising to replace it on different levels. Fireworks exploded from the drums, mike stands, one on the decorative scaffolding and the last stream of sparks atop a pile of speakers, leaving tendrils of purple smoke. When it cleared, the band was assembled, Yami standing tall and proud in the centre front.

He grabbed the microphone off the stand and hollered into it, "Hey, guys; how are ya tonight?"

The girls yelled and screamed along with the crowd, flashes from phone cameras twinkling like diamonds. Yami blinked against it, apparently used to being hit by the wall of sound.

Yami spoke again, "Great, I'm deaf now. But this is our first big show, how 'bout that? All the years spent in the garage and this is where we've come. But enough of me babbling; you want music. This is _Puzzle of Dreams_!" **(A/N: don't own)**

Tea stared longingly up at Yami, the one she'd said no to, never minding the screams of the audience a few seconds after the song started. Oh, how she regretted that now.

The fans of the song screeched and whipped out their cell phones, cameras, recorders and anything else the organisers said no to.

"_Welcome,_

_Welcome, to my puzzle of dreams, baby,_

_Welcome to my heart."_

"_Trying hard to find pieces,_

_In this puzzle of dreams,_

_Finding the way out of the dark,_

_In my puzzle of dreams."_

The band played their rock, rock-pop, a few songs which only involved three or so of the members and eventually got to the final song. **(A/N: Too lazy to write it all -.-)**

"Alright, you still out there?" Yami asked the crowd. A scream and a bunch of people threw flowers, toys, packets of chips and even underwear. Since Ishizu wouldn't let them eat junk food that often, Yami forced his tired, sweat-soaked body to crouch and snatch up a packet of Twisties. Quickly as possible, he popped open the foil bag and stuffed a few into his mouth before going back to the mike.

"I'd just like to introduce you to everyone; the daring Malik rocking out on the drums!" Malik did a drum roll from his lower perch, "Marik, his insane partner in crime!" Marik clanged on his symbols, trying to best the other blonde. "Joey, the underdog, our personal stray mutt on the bass guitar," Joey played a deep, scratchy tune out of _Going Under_, "the charmingly polite Ryou on back up and keyboard," Ryou played the piano solo from _My Immortal._ **(A/N: Evanescence)**

"Um... I've run out of adjectives... the... incredible sneaky... annoying, obnoxious, second most cold-hearted prick I know, Bakura on electric guitar!" the white-haired glared and hissed, playing a threatening screech on his pitch black instrument. Yami chuckled into the mike, causing several calls of 'marry me!' and 'we love you!' to echo from the crowd.

"And the most important person in my world; the amazing Yugi! On violin, bongoes, the cello, xylophone, back up, lead, just about everything else we needed that no one knew how to play. You're the best, Yugi!"

The boy leaned over the scaffolding, "I love you too, Yami!" The crimson-eyed boy blew a kiss and returned his attention to the audience. He grinned and paced around the stage, stepping over teddy bears and other paraphernalia. In the crowd, Tea sneered in jealousy. That runt couldn't possibly have caught Yami's attention... right?

"Ok, then. So we're gonna have to let you go soon–" he started, but the fans would have none of it. They booed and shrieked their disapproval until Yami could barely hear anymore, "– but not just yet!" Yami declared. The crowd went crazy, and Yami shrank back into the shadows. When the lights came on, he was sat at a stool, electric guitar resting in his lap with the strap slung over his shoulder, facing Yugi who was on a stool across from him. The guitar was the same one Yugi had gotten him, the first guitar he ever played. It still had its red and purple twining flames and silver and gold fire, shining black in the harsh stage lights.

Malik and Bakura were behind them, Bakura on the scaffolding and Malik behind his shiny, expansive drum kit.

Malik started the song, thumping his sticks on the drums, followed by Bakura and Yami picking their guitars. Yami sang, strumming cords at lightning speed, Yugi putting in back up where it was needed.

"_He was a skater boy,_

_She said see ya later boy,_

_He wasn't good enough for her."_

"_Now he's a superstar, _

_Slammin' on his guitar,_

_Does your pretty face see what he's worth?"_

It reached Yugi's solo. When they wrote it, Yami had always imagined that the shorter boy would be singing at Tea.

"_Sorry girl but you missed out._

_Well, tough luck,_

_That boy's mine now_

_We are more than just good friends,_

_This is how the story ends."_

"_Too bad that you couldn't see;_

_See the man that boy could be._

_There is more than meets the eye,_

_I see the soul that is inside."_

The music stopped for a second, then returned, though much quieter. Yugi softened his voice to match the new tone, sounding sincere.

The look-a-likes switched singing positions for the last repeated chorus; Yugi now singing lead and Yami back up. The crowd was screaming louder than ever before, a solid wave of sound that was so ear piercing that Tea in the audience could barely think. A few minor queries snuck through the wall of noise; _Is that song about me? Does that mean Yami's mine now?_ The last of the thoughts wasn't even close to accurate – that hadn't happened since she got a B+ on her first test in her design class – but thoughts they were, and we should pat her on the back for trying.**(A/N: if we must, does everybody have sterile gloves?)**

The concert ended with another shower of sparks and Yami yelling "Goodnight! We'll see you next time!" into the microphone. People hung around as long as they could, finally flooding out the too few doors, giggling and laughing with their friends about how awesome it was. There were several comments of 'did you see how...' and 'I liked the part where...' but Tea ignored them. She turned to Rebecca, who was wrapped in a conversation with Mai about who was hotter; Rebecca was insisting Yugi and Mai, Joey. Neither blonde seemed to distracted by her saying she would get another ride home and for them to just leave without her. Rebecca waved a hand dismissively at the brunette, snapping at Mai that Yugi was cute as a baby panda.

Tea continued on her way to the stage door, where there was a short but frantic line of people with backstage passes. She eyed the flock for a big group she could sneak in with. A quadroon of hysteric teenage girls – about five of them – was almost in tears begging the six-foot door guard to open up before the set time. "I'm sorry, miss," he tried to console them, "but the band need time to catch their breath and clean up." When the girls actually had tears streaming down their faces, he sighed and said in girl-speak; "They wanna look good for you guys so they're getting ready."

The girls squealed and swooned, swaying dangerously on their feet and leaning heavily on each other to prevent them from falling over. The boys there – some just as ecstatic as the females and the others were being hung off by some of the girls – had mixed reactions. There was a knock from the other side of the door, and a hand sneaked through, giving the bouncer a thumbs-up. The big man opened the door and, before he could check if everyone actually had valid passes, the mob – including Tea – trampled through in a stampede of fanboy/fangirlism.

There were two dark halls with long lights hanging from the ceiling, one going to each side, and another man who lead the trembling fans down the right corridor. Since there were at least fifteen people, he said, "I'll show you in in groups of three." People clung to their closest friends, mostly lots of two girls and one boy. The man in the body-guard suit took the first group through the doors, leaving the other rabid fans to babble amongst themselves, reapplying makeup and calming themselves before they met the famous band. Tea stood quietly at the back, not wanting to stand out for being the oldest there. She glared at the offending black-painted double-doors, knowing that they were the only things keeping her separated from her Yami.

Yami's POV

Conveniently, there is a shower room in the back of our lounge/dressing room, so there was no fighting over who went first or who used all the hot water. I washed the sweat and glitter away – glitter is a _bitch_ to get out of your hair – and retreated to the walk-in closet. There were only a few things in there, since we only arrived earlier today, but there was enough to change after a show. I located my leather and pulled on a random outfit. The door opened and I turned, brandishing my shoe in case the fans got in around the guard, but it was only Yugi. Naked, dripping wet, clad only in a fluffy white towel Yugi...

Dear Ra.

"Bakura dragged Ryou into his shower and Marik started a soap fight with Malik, so they'll be a while. Seto came in before we got in the shower and took Joey away, they'll be back in a little, though." He explained with a smile. I nodded dumbly, fixing a belt around my hips and keeping my eyes trained on him as he riffled through the racks of clothes. He found some pants and a shirt, dropping the towel off his now-dry body and running it over his still sopping hair. The leather was like a second skin when he faced me again, doing up his fly.

I smiled at him, taking his hand and leading him out of the wardrobe. I sat on the couch with him next to me, having grabbed some drinks from the vending machine on my way past. I handed one to him, popped open my own can and guzzled it down. _The joys of liquid sugar_, I thought. Yugi could never have more than two cans in a row – that would induce a 'Code Rush', as we affectionately called Yugi's sugar highs.

Seto and Joey returned a little later, both looking a little ruffed up but pleased with themselves. I really didn't want to know why Joey had a doggy-ears headband. I can't say I haven't asked Yugi to do that – I _did_ get on my knees and beg for the kitty-ears – but I did not need to know about my cousin's love life.

Bakura and Ryou ventured out of the bathroom about ten minutes after that, Bakura with his usual arrogance and Ryou looking very tired, but contently leaning against Bakura's shoulder. There was a radio on the table by the door, which was hooked up with the security guys' walkie-talkie-thingies. A voice crackled over it, "_The backstage people are coming, sirs. Be ready, they're especially rowdy._" I didn't bother answering, I simply got up from my comfy spot and hammered on the bathroom door, hollering for Marik and Malik to quite their mad-Egyptian sex and get their butts out here. There was a whiny snarl and a faint agreement. Slowly, Malik emerged, looking worse for wear, and slumped over on an armchair. Marik glared wordlessly at me, trailing after his look-a-like.

There was a knock at the door, which was Steve – the main security guard – telling us the rabid fans that were willing to pay thousands just to faint in front of us were here. Seto jogged – he was too respectable to run from anything – out the side door, snatching the ears off of Joey's head on the way. I tapped the door with my fist, letting Steve know we were ready for the first group. I stood in the middle of the floor, the others joining me and standing in the same formation we were on the cover of our first CD. The doors opened and the torture began.

Three random girls shot through the narrow opening before the door had swung all the way open. They squealed and scrambled closer, notebooks and pens in hand. One was in a pair of imitation pants (the Bakura version); another had all the chains and belts on offer and the last was in a band shirt. They thrust the books at us randomly, stutteringly demanding autographs.

With the obsessive-ness out of the way, we sat on the couches like remotely sane humans and talked. Well, they fired off questions at us a mile a minute and we answered as best we could, but that's against the point. The pants girl, who shall be known as Pantsie, as I have no interest in her real name what-so-ever, had tears rolling down her face as she tried to choke out another query. I was already seated next to Yugi, so I leaned back on the armrest and kicked my heels up onto Yugi's lap. She gazed at us, finally spitting out what was on her mind.

"A-a-a – oh my gods – a-are any of y-you guys-s... gay?"

Bakura looked offended. "Why would you ask that?" he tossed his head, secretly glancing at the respectable distance between him and Ryou. Malik and Marik had stuffed it, and were leaning heavily on each other.

"W-well..." started Bling-Bling, fiddling with her imitation jewellery – _there is no way in hell I would _ever_ wear that cheap stuff_ – "y-you're always really close... a-and all the leather, there's a lot of debates on your fan site about it..." I'd read some of them. I must say, they were pretty accurate, but the details about me and Marik meeting in a sports shed since eighth grade are slightly questionable.

"We have a fan site?" Marik leapt up from the couch, fishing his laptop out from his duffle bag.

Ryou shook his head, "Ishizu posted it a few months ago. You ran off with Malik before she could tell you."

Shirt girl – who shall forever be dubbed as Razor-T-shirt – stared at Yugi and I, eyes wide at our open displays of affection. She blushed slightly, "S-so... are you?"

"Sure, why not? I've got nothing better to do with my time." Bakura stated loudly, scooting over on the couch so he was directly next to Ryou. He slung an arm around the smaller's shoulders, "Whatcha say, Ry? How 'bout it?" Ryou rolled his eyes, before flinging his arms around Bakura's shoulders, Damsel-in-Distress style. With a sarcastic cry of 'Oh, I thought you'd never ask!' the albino pair pulled all attention to themselves for a moment.

While the girl's attention was elsewhere, I discreetly tubbed Yugi's thigh with my foot. Pantsie switched her gaze to us, eyes widening at my almost sub-conscious action and Yugi's gentle response of fiddling with the hem of my pants. She sputtered, unable to form a coherent sentence when Marik plopped himself down next to Malik again. He looked like he'd just seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and said in a mystified voice, "They know... about the bondage."

Bakura shook his head. "They couldn't, I sound proofed the rape-dungeon." The trio of girls appeared horrified. They shrank into the opposite couch they were sat on, fearfully eying the crazy buggers. I sighed exasperatedly; how many times do you need to tell someone 'don't scare the income'?

Yugi pushed my feet off him – causing me to huff and puff my annoyance – and slowly ventured over to the girls like they were scared animals. "Hey," he said softly, trying to calm them, "they're just joking. We don't have a rape-dungeon–"

"Yet!"

"–and the only bondage we have is on Marik's videos." He smiled reassuringly. Well, as reassuringly as you can when being questioned about a rape-dungeon and lewd videos. The girls swooned at my Little One's kind look, falling over each other to stay upright on the couch. They questioned us for a bit more, before they were forced to leave so the next group could come in. The cycle went on for an hour, entertaining and answering the people who payed to meet us face-to-face. It was hard to believe, that in a few years I'd gone from the high school misfit who no one even bothered to look at to the internationally known man who some people would give their teeth for us to so much as glance at them.

I'd just said goodbye to Steve and headed back into the room. Bakura, Ryou, Malik and Marik having already left for the hotel – _rabbits, they are, horny rabbits_ – and Yugi was buried in the cupboard, going through all the clothes and seeing what Bakura and Marik had just dumped there for someone else to pick up and wash. Yugi and I'd get a ride with one of the performance centre's security guys back to the hotel. Someone knocked on the door, not a timid knock, nor an official-sounding one, but it was loud, as if whoever was on the other side of the door was demanding attention. I called to Yugi that I'd get it and pulled on the handle. The door swung silently open and a body flung itself into my chest with a loud cry of 'Yami-kins!' I stumbled back, arms out to keep my balance. The figure currently clinging to me had scratchy brown hair, that much I could tell from where the head was buried in my shirt, and was taller, judging by the way the person was hunched over.

I put my hands on their shoulders and pushed the woman – at least, I thought it was – off of me. Confused, dull blue eyes stared back at me from a pinched face, cheaply and messily painted lips pursed. The person was scantily clad in a (bag?) made of three strips of purple, pink and blue. The cloth barely covered the woman's privates – both ends – and did absolutely nothing for her blotchy complexion. The veins in her legs and ankles were bludging under the strain of supporting her in those death-trap shoes. I wear boots, but _those_ looked painful.

"What's wrong, Yami-kins?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, "Don't you remember me?"

"Um..." I quickly scanned through my memories of girls who I knew in school, either them being my tormentors in Japan or on the list of 'rejected' in America. There was no one who matched the person in front of me. "No. No I don't remember you. Did I reject you at some point or did you bully me or–"

"No, I rejected _you_!" she looked offended that I didn't have the slightest clue who she was or where I supposedly knew her from, drawing her eyebrows together and sucking in her already narrow cheeks. "Don't you remember? Domino High School? You were the no-body skater punk who always hung out with the midget!"

I glared at her, "Yugi is not a – wait, Domino High? What year?" I asked. If she was who I thought she was then, man, had _she_ ever changed! She'd gone from thin and practically flawless to bony with a bump. The dry skin around her mouth was the opposite of her oily cheeks, probably from years of makeup.

"We were in year ten, why? Do you know who I am now?" she asked hopefully, eyes lighting up and lips drawn back over her teeth in a grin.

"Whoa, Tea? Is that you under all... that?" I gestured unhelpfully at her, waving my hand around. **(A/N: HTTYD style)** There was makeup, then makeup to cover the makeup, and then bad lipstick and blush smeared over the top. Not even Yugi's mother wore that much to her meetings, neither did Bakura or Marik during Halloween. And they went all out!

She tilted her head again, taking a step forward (I took two steps back) and blinked stupidly. "All what?" she cocked a hip heavily to the side, looking quite awkward with her body jutted to that angle.

"_That_." That was that. There was no way to explain that other than _that_. It was just that.

She blinked slowly again, and I think I smelled smoke as her unused thought processors grinded to comprehend me for the first time in who knows how long. "Oh!" her eyes came back into focus from their haze, "I've had a few rough times since you left, but you're back now, so everything's alright." She grinned crookedly, as if all was well with the world. "You can take me away from all of this, we can be happy; just like you wanted." Well, she certainly got that wrong. I was happy with Yugi, as he was with me, and he took me away from the hellhole of a life Tea created for me. I didn't want anything else.

"I wanted to be happy with someone who cared about me, and I cared about them. Not someone who just sees me for my money and a ticket out of a train wreck life." I sneered at her, "And you, Tea, obviously have exactly that."

"B-but I'm i-in a _Supre_ dress a-a-and I made sure to cover my–"

I cut her off, "It's not what you're wearing. You're acting cheap, I'm guessing you either stole that dress or used someone else's money to buy it, I can see the baby bump – no, you didn't cover it well enough – the way you're talking, you expect me to sweep you off your feet, take in a child that isn't mine, and pay for your life so you can use my name to make yourself well known." By the astonished look in her eyes, I could tell I'd figured out her entire plan. She spluttered and gaped like a fish, her arms twitching occasionally. She struggled for a few more moments, before spitting out a sentence that made sense.

"It's someone else, isn't it? That midget got you before I did!"

"Now Tea–"

"No! I can prove I'm better than him!" she snapped. Yugi came out of the walk-in closet then, laundry basket nestled under his arm on his hip. He walked over to me, and I wrapped an arm around his waist. He kissed my cheek before acknowledging Tea with a polite 'hello' and a charming smile. The bewildered brunette looked from me, to Yugi, then back to me.

She seethed. I could almost see the smoke coming out her ears. "You... you can't do this..."

"I've already done it. It's been this way since you turned me down." I answered coldly. Her eyes widened and she backed towards the door, stumbling slightly and groping behind her for the handle. Her fingers clenched around it, and she fled down the hall, wailing like a banshee. I chuckled, and Yugi looked at me, confused.

"Was that... Tea?" he wondered, tilting his head cutely.

I chuckled, "Yes, but that's not important." I took his free hand and led him down the opposite corridor from the one Tea had taken (which way she went was obvious from the screaming) and we kept going until we got to the back exit which opened out to the staff car park. "Now, where's Steve?" When we found him, we haggled him into giving us a ride back to the hotel. Luckily, Yugi's Chibi-eyes work on anyone. As we sat in the back of the land rover with the laundry basket next to us, ducking far enough down so our hair wouldn't be seen whenever we passed a flock of men and women migrating away from the concert hall or got close enough to another vehicle for them to see in the tinted windows, I thought back over what had happened since I left Domino because of Tea.

I'd moved to America; gotten a safer education; a circle of friends who depended on me and I, them; the boy of my dreams was curled up next to me; I'd become famous thanks to said boy, and I couldn't think of anywhere I'd rather be at that moment. I pulled Yugi closer to me, sighing contently into his hair. I was so lucky to have him. He could've dumped me and run off with that hot-shot actor we met at the radio station who was flirting with him, but he stuck with crazy-haired me.

He leaned further into my chest, smiling up at me. He shifted so he was lying sideways in my lap, looking at me from under his bangs. "I love you, Yami."

"I love you too, Yugi, I love you too."

**Phew! *faints* *is revived**

**That took me, like, forEVER! But I did it. I'm not entirely sure on the **_**Puzzle of Dreams**_** lyrics, but that's what it sounds like. And, the only time I've ever been backstage is when I'm performing (it's happened plenty of times) but this is what I think it'd be like. I haven't had anyone read this, so forgive any stupid mistakes. I've been sick since I tried to explain **_**that**_**.**

**This is the longest thing I've ever written. GO ME! And, if you've read phantomworks' story **_**skaterboy: Yami**_** and this seems at all like it at some points, I did not mean it. I just went with the song. I am not meaning to offend anyone with this.**


End file.
